Little Love
by kappie01
Summary: Emi meets a little boy on the Baratie and declares that she loves him. Except she confuses love and liking someone as a friend. How can the chefs at the Baratie make Emi understand the difference?


p class="p1"It was a cloudy day at the Baratie and the chefs continued cooking and serving the hungry customers. As a six year old now, Emi enjoyed chatting to the patrons. She would smile and laugh, which the patrons found adorable. That led to more people coming to eat because of the child's good nature. It had been a couple days since Sanji had left again to continue his adventures, back when Emi was still five years old, and she had missed her papa terribly. Some nights she would clutch her stuffed snail and cry, wishing her papa was back at the Baratie. She would cry herself to sleep, and the next day would be tired and cranky. It was amazing when her papa came for her sixth birthday; it was the happiest Emi had been...but then he left her to continue his adventure./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"The six year old decided that cloudy day to wear her new sundress that Pattie had bought her. It was a spaghetti strap blue dress with lace on the bottom. Small white flowers were sewn here and there on the dress, and Emi loved it. All the chefs had squealed and cried at how adorable the child was./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Her silver hair hung in two pigtails during this cloudy day, and her little feet were clad in black leather sandals. She toddled around the upstairs, listening to the chefs shouting orders and waiters coming and going. Each food item they brought out smelled wonderful, and Emi wished she could have some. She leaned her chin against the railing, watching the different patrons talking and eating. She blinked and a big smile lit up her face when she saw a brown head of hair come into the Baratie. Emi dashed down the steps and ran to the boy that had come in with his mother and father./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Len! Len! Wanna play hide and seek?" Emi said with a huge smile./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"The little boy, Len, smiled widely and nodded. He was a year older then Emi, and had been Emi's friend since he and his parents first came to the Baratie. The two would cause mischief around the kitchen and play around the deck. It had been a sunny and warm day when the two first met, and the rest was history./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Sniffling could be heard from behind a wooden crate as the five year old huddled on deck, her knees up to to her chin. It had been a bad day for the child, and she hadn't slept at all that night. She was cranky and didn't want to do anything. Emi had thrown a tantrum when Carne had asked her to not leave her toys in front of the kitchen doors, and ran to the deck and cried behind a wooden crate full of food. A set of footsteps came up to the wooden crate, and Emi pulled her knees in tighter. It probably was her jii-chan coming to yell at her./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Um...excuse me? A-are you okay?" a small voice said, causing Emi to tearfully look up./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"A small boy stood there, looking uncertain. His brown hair fell messily to one side, and his brown eyes shone with mischief like her own. Emi sniffed and wiped away her tears./p  
p class="p1""Nothing is wrong" she said before getting up from her spot./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Emi stomped away from the boy, irritation clear on her face. She just wanted to be alone, and this boy was ruining it for the five year old. She walked to the other side of the Baratie, and the boy followed./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Go away" she growled, and the boy cocked his head in confusion./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Why?"/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Because!"/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""My mother said 'embecause/em' isn't an answer."/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Because I said so!"/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""But why?"/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Emi whirled around, her cheeks puffed out in anger./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Go away!" she shouted at the boy, and ran inside the Baratie./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"She ran up the steps that led to the kitchen and huddled against the corner of two walls outside her bedroom. She curled her knees up and rested her chin on her knees. That boy wouldn't be able to find her here. Patrons weren't allowed upstairs. She rocked back and forth on her rear, eyes darting around nervously. After what seemed like hours, her mind began to nag her. She really didn't meant it when she told that boy to go away. She slowly uncurled herself and crawled to the railing, peeking through. Her purple eyes locked onto the boy, pushing his food back and forth with a frown. Maybe...maybe she could play with him. Then maybe he wouldn't be sad./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Emi stood up and brushed her black pants off. She straightened her white top and walked slowly down the stairs. She walked to the table where the brown haired boy was and stood there, clasping her hands behind her back./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Um...excuse me?" she asked./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"The boy and his parents looked at her, and his face lit in a smile./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Hey! You're here!" he said, and hopped off the chair./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""I'm sorry I shouted at you" Emi said, looking down./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Her jii-chan always said she had to apologize if she made someone sad./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"The boy smiled widely./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""I'm Len! It's okay you shouted, you were sad" Len said, and Emi hesitantly returned his smile./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Wanna play? I know a good place for hide and seek" Emi asked shyly, and Len nodded enthusiastically./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Mother? Can I go and play?" Len asked the woman behind them excitedly, and the woman nodded./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"The two children ran off through the Baratie, giggling and laughing. After that day, the two became fast friends./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Emi and Len ran out the deck of the Baratie, their laughs floating in the air. From the top deck, Head Chef Zeff watched the two children playing. A gruff snort left the older man, and he continued watching them. At least Emi was smiling again./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Bye Len! See you again!" Emi called as the boy and his parents left the Baratie./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Len waved back and Emi watched him and his parents leave until they were dots on the ocean. Emi continued watching the ocean until a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Pattie standing behind her with his massive arms crossed./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Pattie? What is it?" she asked./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Now Emi. I know you and that boy are hanging around each other a lot. You need to be careful around boys" he said, hauling the six year old onto his shoulder./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Why? Len and I are friends" she asked as the other chefs gathered around, each saying their own opinions about how boys could confuse the girl./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"There were so many voices at once it sounded like a blender. Emi yelped as she slipped off of Pattie as he and some of the chefs got into an argument over how boys should treat girls. She tumbled to the ground and scrambled out of the way as all the chefs got into it, fists and random kitchen utensils included. She watched the chefs go at it for a couple seconds before walking away, intent on going to her room and playing with her snail. She walked past her jii-chans room and hesitated. She peaked her head in and smiled when she saw Zeff sitting there at his desk, looking at different papers./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Jii-chan? What are you doing?" she asked, walking into his room./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Zeff glanced at the six year old before grunting./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Nothing you should concern yourself about" he said./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Emi skipped over and climbed onto his bed before jumping on the mattress./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Emi get off. You're going to break my bed" Zeff said gruffly, and Emi landed on her knees./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Some strands of her silver hair had come out of their restraints and fell across her face. She brushed them to the side. She flopped onto her back on her jii-chans bed, giggling as she looked at Zeff upside down./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""I see your new friend was back today" he said, and Emi righted herself./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Mhm! His name is Len and I love him" Emi declared./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Zeff raised an eyebrow at this./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""You do?"/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""Yup!"/p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""You have the wrong idea, you squirt. Someone as young as you can't love someone that way" he grumbled./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""But jii-chan, I do love him!" Emi said, eyes furrowed on her little face./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Head Chef Zeff sighed; she was too young to understand what love was./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""I love him, and jii-chan, and Pattie, and Papa, and Carne and everyone!" Emi said with a huge smile./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1""If you say so. Now get out of my bedroom" Zeff rumbled, and Emi giggled before running out of his room./p  
p class="p1" /p  
p class="p1"Zeff let a small smile quirk at his lips before it was gone, and with a sigh he went back to his papers. He would explain love to her when Emi was older./p 


End file.
